Remodel, Kitchen Design, Custom Home Builder

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. House Remodeling
House Addition
House Renovation
Kitchen Remodel
Bathroom Remodel
Custom Home Builder
Outdoor Living Ideas
Fine Finish Carpentry
Custom Cabinets

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Make sure that the contractor is licensed, has work comp insurance, liability insurance (not required by law), see their work, check client and supplier references.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. To obtain a general contractor's license, you don't need to have any building experience. So choose your contractor wisely.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. Homeowners should have a good sense of what they want and their budget. We've met clients after they have spent a lot of their building funds on several home plans. We're happy to recommend an architect or designer who will be a good fit for your home improvement project.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. Bill Fry has extensive education and experience in home construction. He is a journeyman carpenter (a four year training) and built over 100 hillside homes in Portola Valley as a carpenter and foreman before obtaining his General Contractor License in 1987. He also is a Certified Green Building Professional and is EPA lead-safe certified (as required for homes built prior to 1978). He has built the personal projects of architects, designers, structural engineers and other professionals.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. Bill enjoys people: his clients and his team. He enjoys the technical aspects of building. He likes to visit his projects years after they were built.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. What will it cost and how long will it take?
To expedite your project and to economize, make your decisions ahead of time.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. There are lots of favorite stories and fine memories of the interesting people I've met over the years. We've excavated some interesting artifacts over the years.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. It isn't as easy as it looks! Getting the opportunity to use heavy equipement really is quite a lot of fun.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I was going to business school and working my way through. My father had been a carpenter and contractor as well. So when I got a part time job in construction, I realized that I really enjoyed it.

Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

A. I was honored that my neighbor hired by firm to build his custom kitchen. He's a woodworker hobbyist, so we knew that the result would have to be spectacular, and it was.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I get a number of trade magazines. My favorite is Fine Homebuilding. I also have to keep my Certified Green Building Professional certification and EPA lead-safe certification current.

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. There are more and more regulations and it is good to keep ahead of them such as Title 24 energy requirements, CalGreen, and local green building codes. We can choose to exceed these so your remodeled home of today will be current in the future.

Q. Describe your most recent project, what it involved, how much it cost, and how long it took.

A. We did a complete home remodel and addition on a tract home in Los Altos. Many of the ceilings are now 9 feet high. The homeowner chose some very nice finishes and the house looks great.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. Well, everything we do is custom so there is a lot of variability. There are also a number of ways to economize and get close to the look you want, which is called "value engineering."

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. Try to find a really good training program. There aren't very many around anymore. Just like with any profession, get a good mentor.

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. What is the biggest change that you forsee in the industry? It would definitely be the mainstreaming of the green building movement. People won't talk about green building anymore, because it will be the new normal.

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. Do you install designer showroom custom cabinets?

Yes. We can install any kitchen cabinet brand such as Allmilmo, Alno, bulthaup, Neff, Poggenpohl, Rutt, Siematic and more. One benefit to working with our company is our depth of experience in kitchen design and installation in the San Francisco Bay Area. Whether you purchase your cabinetry from your interior designer or have it fabricated by our company, our employees who install your cabinetry also know how to build it. This is particularly useful if minor alterations are required.

Q. Write your own question and answer it.

A. Can you build a custom mantel?

Yes, we do all types of cabinetry including custom mantels in the San Francisco Bay Area. One nice thing about having our own artisanal cabintetry shop is that we can take the homeowner's or designer's concept and either go straight to production or produce a mock-up for final approval. When you get a custom mantel, you can get just about anything you want when it comes to size, wood species, or finish. We also do some fabulous masonry mantels as well. Take a look at our website and you'll see many mantel styles.